1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to devices and methods for removing certain skin areas on a person's body and, more particularly, relates to a device and method for removing selected skin areas including callouses from a person's foot in a shower or bath area.
2. Background of the Prior Art
In the past, various devices and methods have been developed and used for removing certain skin areas on a person's body. For example, doctors will often remove warts and other growths from a person's body such as by a surgical type device or by new cryogenic spot freezing techniques. Podiatrists will also remove callouses and/or certain other skin areas such as "corns" from a person's foot by the use of minor surgical cutting techniques using, for example, a scalpel, razor or other type of skin cutting device.
These prior art types of procedures for the removal of certain skin portions on a person's body or feet usually require the assistance of another person such as a doctor like a dermatologist or a podiatrist. However, there are certain types of situations where a person desires to act by themselves in an independent manner in a relatively inexpensive way without the assistance and expense of using another party such as a doctor to remove certain skin areas on their feet.
For example, many people develop certain skin conditions on their feet such as callouses or dead skin portions such as "corns" which often become very uncomfortable and therefore require some form of treatment to ease the pain or discomfort created by these callouses or dead skin portions such as "corns". Simply stated, people don't want to incur the expense and loss in time from a visit to a doctor such as a podiatrist or dermatologist.
Furthermore, for older or other people such as obese people who have difficulty in bending or have arthritis or other ailments or back problems, the removal of selected skin portions from their feet, which includes stains, dead skin, etc., by themselves is very desirable to important foot hygiene.
Accordingly, a need existed for a device and method that could be used to remove dead skin regions on a person's foot or feet without the need of a doctor or a third party and also without the need of a surgical type device. There was also a need for such a device and method that can be used in a shower or bath area where warm water could be used to bathe the person's feet to both clean and soften dead skin portions of the person's feet to facilitate removal thereof by abrasion. Preferably, such a device and method should be used on the floor of the shower or bath in a way that would permit a hands-free dead skin removal operation from the person's feet while maintaining the device in a substantially secure or fixed position on the shower or bath floor. Furthermore, such a device and method would permit either foot to be used to remove skin portions therefrom. Still further, such a device and method would permit side as well as bottom portions of the person's feet to be abraded for the removal of dead skin portions therefrom.